Are you Mod?!

Art Gallery always come across to me as a small, boutique shop, mostly internet-based with some outlets in unexpected places. Their range is limited but practically unique, favouring wild and unusual new shirt patterns over generic classics. That said, they also stock some old favourites like a sky blue now and then.

I’ve no idea whether they really are some small quaint little shop or an offshoot of a multinational brand, but it is true that they usually only bring out three or four new shirt styles every six months or so, and they don’t waste their time churning crap. A lot of effort seems to go into balancing every design just on the line between seriously retro and actually quite modern. Not only this, but their stuff is also relatively well-priced, with a shirt going usually for just under the high street price of £55 (including delivery). They’re also quite strong on their knitwear, which is quite reminiscent of something the Small Faces would wear on an off day. And that can only be a good thing.

Anyway, here are a few favourites from the new set, so go and have a look and see what you think..

​Art Gallery Clothing, which I know many of you dear readers recommend (apparently they do 3-finger button down collars, which I must say is quite unusual at the moment), have released, nay unleashed, their second half of their Spring / Summer line.

As usual, heavy on the knitwear and the casual tops (and nothing wrong with that), but they’ve also put out a couple of extra shirts to sweeten the deal. And it’s not like they just dash this shit off the presses in their spare time - as with the Noddy (my current favourite), the patterns are bold and unusual.

Another strong showing from a strong brand and, as you dear readers can see, prices are decent! I might get myself a navy Zack just to see what all this new knitwear fuss is about.

Although we’re told don’t judge a book by its cover, those of us of the Mod ilk know that more often than not, what you’re wearing is the face you present to the world, so you might as well make it look good and perhaps a bit distinctive.

Nowhere is this easier to do than in the kind of shirts you wear. There are a billion combinations of colours, patterns and styles that one could look to for a distinctive look, but in this post I wanted to highlight something in particular that I thought was slightly missing its niche from the market at the moment and that is the military-style shirt.

“Style” might be a strong phrase. A shirt with any other pattern can be military style, but I would usually describe it as a shirt that is one colour, with epaulets on the shoulders and two front flap-pockets.

I always browse the usual clothing sites in my free time (/ time I’m wasting) at work just to see what goodies are bubbling away beneath the surface. This is usually quite rewarding, because I tend to just drift through the sites from page to page, clicking on links that I might not normally pay any attention to, just to see what’s there. On Thursday, for instance, I was excited to see Adaptor had a few very bold polka dot numbers from Relco. Likewise they have a bit of paisley. Then I went to DNA Groove and Art Gallery just to have a browse and there are some serious checks and stripes going on in those places. At the moment, my favourite is the Noddy from Art Gallery, great colours, strong pattern. Then to Ben Sherman of course, where they can always be relied on to produce a powerful no-nonsense Oxford that always goes well with a jumper or suit.

But of a “military style” there is nothing to be seen.

It doesn’t have as strong a popular tradition as some of the other styles, but it was a thing. They were prominently worn by the Who some of the early pictures (especially Keith Moon), as well as by the Creation on the cover of their How Does it Feel to Feel record. If anyone’s got any other band examples, I’ll be happy to post.them here.

In the 2000s, DNA Groove had a good series of smart shirts with their classic collars, but with epaulets on the shoulders and a distinctive button style. They also had contrasting colours. All the ones I’ve got are ones I’ve designed myself on iTailor.

But I guess the only conclusion can be that this type of shirt just doesn’t sell as well as I think it should!

I originally discovered Pellicano a while back and I quite liked their slogan of “British swagger, Italian style”. I ordered a couple of ties, both polka dot, one burgundy, one blue and they are a particularly strong part of my general suit and tie strategy. They are not too wide and they are of elegant design and silky, high-quality fabric. I also paid a high, but okay price for them, about £22 each.

However, I am sorry to say I find Pellicano’s new site and season a bit of a disappointment.

They do have a couple of things going on. I particularly like their check shirts with their narrow collars and their knitted ties, for example. They also do a good line in pocket handkerchiefs.

But the prices are ridiculous. £82 for a plain white shirt and £50 for a knitted tie. No doubt they are of exquisite design, but I reviewed Art Gallery last week and they charge literally half the price for one of their new-season shirts. Come on Pellicano, are we seriously saying these shirts are double the quality of Art Gallery’s?

​I think it’s a mistake to try to charge this much frankly and Pellicano are in serious danger of undermining their own customers’ loyalty. As I said, it’s not hard to find cheaper shirts and Jump The Gun do knitted ties for much less than £50. Pretty Green did this when they first launched, with some shirts being priced about the £120 mark. Fortunately they realised their error and nowadays they're back in the region of saner economics. I’m sorry to say the marketplace, especially the internet marketplace, is not kind to uncompetitive businesses. It's a simple fact that people won't be taken for a ride.

Having said this, there is a lot of nice stuff to be picked up in Pellicano’s “Outlet” section at much more reasonable prices. So have a look at that area of their site for the real deal.

As trailed, these are my fave bits from Art Gallery Clothing’s new season. They only got put up recently and it’s actually pretty hard to tell which ones are the new ones.

Not that this matters.

The whole range is pretty solid. I know Art Gallery Clothing for its bold, almost Pop Arty takes on traditional Mod wares and these new additions do not disappoint in that respect.

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1. AlfieI love a cycling top in summer. They feel very Style Council somehow and these come in a good range of strong colours including royal blue and sky blue. Setting them apart from Fred Perry’s ones they also have a stylish French flag stripe down the left side.

2. WalterAnother strong take on a cycling top - this one with long sleeves. I suspect this might actually be an autumn option considering the price and the style, but I liked it so much I left it in this list. Still one to take a look at.

3. NoddyClassic Art Gallery here: bullish Pop Art colour scheme on a trad short-sleeved button-collar shirt. What more could you want for in the summertime?

4. GartonA close brother to the Noddy, this one again is bold check, in a kind of old Ivy League style.​

The one criticism I do have is that the new cycling tops are quite pricey. But then it's a pretty sick design so I'll probably fork out at some point...

Art Gallery are also a prime outlet for that eminence of Mod traditional footwear, The Bass Weejun loafer. I feel this is telling when one tries to decide which direction their inspiration comes from!